"Satya Definitely Does Have Money," Says Elon Musk; Nadella Responds with $80 Billion Azure Commitment

Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella has addressed Tesla CEO Elon Musk's skepticism about the financing of the $500 billion Stargate Project. Speaking in a CNBC interview, Nadella assured that Microsoft is committed to investing $80 billion in its Azure cloud computing platform, reinforcing the company's role as a key technology partner in the ambitious initiative.

The exchange began after former U.S. President Donald Trump announced the Stargate Project, a joint venture between OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle, aimed at developing AI infrastructure in the United States. During the announcement, Trump declared that the project would invest at least $500 billion over four years.

Musk, a known ally of Trump, voiced doubts about the venture's ability to secure the necessary funding. Writing on X (formerly Twitter), Musk claimed, "They don't actually have the money," pointing out that SoftBank had secured less than $10 billion.

In response to Musk’s comments, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman dismissed the concerns, inviting Musk to visit the project’s first operational site. Altman emphasized the initiative's importance for the United States, saying, "This is great for the country. I realize what is great for the country isn't always what's optimal for your companies, but in your new role, I hope you'll mostly put us first."

During the CNBC interview, Nadella confidently countered Musk’s remarks, stating, "I am good for my $80 billion. I am going to spend $80 billion building out Azure. Customers can count on Microsoft with OpenAI models being there everywhere in the world, serving OpenAI models and other models."

A clip of the interview was shared on X, to which Musk reacted, writing, "On the other hand, Satya definitely does have the money." Nadella replied with humor, tweeting, "All this money is not about hyping AI, but is about building useful things for the real world!"

The Stargate Project, led by a coalition of tech giants including Arm, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Oracle, OpenAI, and SoftBank, aims to revolutionize AI infrastructure. While SoftBank will handle financial aspects, OpenAI will oversee operations, making it a landmark initiative for AI development and implementation.

Nadella’s $80 billion commitment underscores Microsoft’s determination to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of AI, leveraging Azure’s global reach to support the Stargate Project and beyond.